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﻿Having a Performance Dialogue in Goal Setting is useful

from: Christina Gray

There are a lot of advantages offered by performance dialogues in goal setting. A dialogue can happen either externally or internally. An internal dialogue occurs within a person in which he or she evaluates his or her performance objectively and changes his or her goal based on this evaluation. An external dialogue occurs between a person and his or her superior. The superior gives an evaluation of the person's performance regarding his or her goals and thus, paves the way for new goals to be made and accomplished. Because of performance dialogues in goal setting, people can direct their efforts efficiently.

The goal setting theory of motivation states that the behaviour of people is determined by the different goals that they set for themselves. It further asserts that the efforts people make towards the achievement of a goal are affected by the feedback that these people get. Whether these feedbacks are positive or negative, they do affect the performance of a person. This, in a nutshell, explains the use of performance dialogues in goal setting.

The use of performance dialogues in goal setting lies in 5 different activities:

1) Highlighting accomplishments – this involves an examination of past goals and achievements. Goal setting performance dialogues allow people to take stock of the things that they have accomplished. Dialogues are used because people are only able to see things from one perspective. Through a dialogue, people can make sure that no accomplishments go unnoticed.

This part of the goal setting performance dialogue allows people to see just how much they have accomplished in terms of another goal. This shows them the possibilities of accomplishing another goal. By knowing that they were able to accomplish so much, people are encouraged to set more goals.

2) Identifying any need for improvement – This part of the performance dialogue in goal setting allows people to see any aspect of former goals which needs improvement. By examining these areas, people are able to set better goals and thus, be more successful in achieving them.

3) Showing clear expectations – in this part of a goal setting performance dialogue, people are able to know what to expect when setting the next goal. Because of the first two parts of the goal setting performance dialogue, people know have a clear picture regarding the next goal to come. Because of this, people are able to eliminate any goal that is shown to be a waste of time.

4) Setting the goal – This is the main part of a goal setting performance dialogue. The whole purpose of evaluating past performances is to set new goals. Thus, we can consider this part the application of the performance dialogue in goal setting. In this part, people are expected to apply what they have learned from the dialogue into setting a goal that's:

a) specific

b) attainable

c) challenging

5) Making plans – the setting of a goal gives people a general idea of the direction to take when they want to accomplish that goal. However, part of the process of a goal setting performance dialogue is actually planning the specific steps to take in order to accomplish an objective. This means that people can apply any improvements that they have made and they can try to avoid any mistakes that they have made in the past.

Christine Gray is a recognized authority on the subject of Goal Setting. Her website www.SelfImprovementsGuide.com provides a wealth of informative articles and resources on everything you will need to know about Goal Setting.